Supper Partying: How To Plan a Menu (and Not Lose Your Mind)

There are two sorts of menu planners. The first enjoys the process. They love the R&D: collecting recipes, stalking food influencers, making Pinterest mood boards. The second type is more whimsical, preferring to play it by ear – they’re writing their shopping list in the produce section.

There’s no perfect way to plan a menu but, through trial and error, I’ve narrowed down my top tips for shopping and prepping to help you get things sorted.

There are far too many proverbs about the brevity of life that are appropriate here, so I will just ask this: how much time do you realistically have? I have been a victim of what I call ego planning: I overestimate my capacity to Get Things Done because I’ve not accounted for my life outside of hosting, where I have to work and sleep and shower. This hubris is how I end up making bulk hollandaise at midnight – do not recommend. Adjust your menu to your life schedule, not the other way around.

If you’re short on time during the week, don’t put prep-heavy dishes on offer. Everyone loves to say that you should try to prep everything days before an event, but many of us don’t have the time or energy. Luckily, there are plenty of dishes you can make the day before – or day of – that won’t compromise either your sanity or your party’s wow factor.

To stay light on prep, I use this formula to plan my menus: one main element – a protein or a substantial vegetable, like a head of cabbage or a nice bunch of carrots – plus one to two complementary elements. Examples include grilled butterflied prawns with chimichurri; roasted sugarloaf cabbage with a laksa butter and fried shallots (see recipe below); fresh figs with cardamom cream and orange syrup. If you’re not sure how to pair flavours, take inspo from the best meals you’ve had out. Choose a few items you’re currently into then find out what they pair with. This is easier than centring the event around one dish and making a million sides (although you can also do that if it’s what your heart desires!).

If you’re cooking one showstopping dish , be sure to give yourself at least 10 days before the event to shop and prep. Always read the recipe from top to bottom before you do anything (especially desserts and anything baked) and be ready to make space in the fridge.

It’s tricky gauging how many dishes will satiate people without leaving you surrounded by dreaded containers of sad leftovers. If you’re having five to 10 people, I would serve a couple of snacks at least (think finger foods like dip, olives, crudo) and then two proteins and at least two sides. If you’re having more than 10 people, you can just double the quantity of proteins and add a side or two more.

Remember to consider what time of day your event is. If it’s a lunch, I would keep it lighter and more snacky: grilled fish and veg, a savoury galette, a cheese plate. If it’s dinner, there’s more room to play – and more time to prep before.

I can recall every single time a friend has told me their dietary requirements have changed. It always happens the same way: they reveal the information, treading lightly, they apologise for any future inconvenience and then they ask me if I’m okay. (I’m not, and I’m about to spend the next half hour dissociating, trying to figure out what I’m going to cook for them now that they can’t eat cheese or pasta or regular soy sauce.) Ultimately, it’s always fine and, after I’ve grieved, I’m grateful to them for teaching me how to adapt as a cook.

In practice, I have a two-birds-one-stone approach to dietary requirements. I often have more than two people at my events with different dietaries, so I’m looking for a dish that can accommodate more than one restriction at a time. I’m not about making small portions of different things for my dietary-requirement diners. I want everyone to be able to share and connect over the same meal. Thankfully, there are many dishes that let you to leave the dietary-unfriendly ingredients on the side. My mainstays are lamb meatballs with harissa sauce and feta on the side (GF, DF); dan dan noodles made with vegan mince (vegan and DF; GF with rice noodles); and Spanish beetroot tartare with crisps and aioli on the side (vegan, DF, GF).

Imagine this: it’s hot, the kitchen is a mess, you’ve stained your favourite outfit (cocktail sauce?); you glance over to your guests and realise you haven’t had a conversation with anyone in half an hour; and every five minutes, someone comes to ask if you need help.

No one wants to be an absent host, so avoid putting dishes on your menu that take more than 10 minutes to assemble. I steer clear of dishes that require a lot of on-the-spot cooking like deep-fried foods and fidgety canapés – it’s much too hands-on and chaotic.

A good host always answers the door. This means no cooking or cleaning or plating while people are arriving. All of that should be done at least 15 minutes before the arrival time so you can take a moment to yourself before the storm (have a glass of wine and a handful of chips, you deserve it!). When most of the guests are seated and have a drink and some snacks, then you can retreat to the kitchen (for no more than a total of 15 minutes, ideally) to bring out the more substantial plates.

Here’s one of my standby recipes based around a substantial veg that’s big on flavour and short on prep time.

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins

1 tbsp neutral oil
1 head of savoy, sugarloaf or green cabbage, quartered lengthwise
Salt
3 tbsp laksa paste (homemade or store bought)
2 tbsp coconut cream
130g unsalted butter, room temperature

Optional toppings
Crispy shallots
Scallions, julienned
Peanuts, crushed
Coriander, chopped
Sesame seeds, toasted
Lime juice, freshly squeezed

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmery, add the cabbage quarters. Let cook on all sides for 4–5 minutes, undisturbed. Generously salt all sides after turning. They should be charred well and golden brown.

Move the pot to the oven and bake uncovered until cabbage is very tender (for approximately 40–50 minutes).

Meanwhile, mix laksa paste and coconut milk into butter until homogenous and set aside.

In the last five minutes of roasting, remove the cabbage from oven and dollop laksa butter on top. (There is no need to spread the butter as it will distribute naturally.) Then put the pot back in the oven.

Remove from oven and serve straight from the pot or transfer to a plate, making sure to pour all the juices and butter over the cabbage.

Serve with toppings of your choice.

Keep up with Becca over on @supper.partying.